Why You Should Be Cleaning Your Beauty Tools More Often

It's the one chore we all know and hate: washing your beauty tools. For some reason, cleaning makeup brushes and other tools is one of the most daunting tasks, yet it's crucial to not only our flawless makeup looks but also our overall skin health. 

Let's start with the obvious reason why we should be cleansing our tools more often, and that is for hygienic reasons. Unclean makeup brushes can harbor serious amounts of bacteria, dirt, and dust that can cause some very unglamorous and, in some cases, serious skin issues.

According to Allure, a 2016 study revealed that a shocking 19% of makeup brushes used in salons by various consumers were contaminated by fungus or yeast. Moreover, 100% of the tools were found to hold some kind of bacteria. Cristina Monaco, a certified physician assistant in New York, added that a buildup of all of the oils and dirt can even cause rashes called dermatitis (via Elle). Still, there's more to know about why you should be washing your brush more often — and exactly how often it should be.

So how often should we be washing our beauty tools? The correct answer: probably more often than we currently clean them. According to makeup artist Troy Surratt, we should do a weekly washing of all of the beauty tools that we use regularly on our faces (via Vogue). This is not only to make sure we are getting the highest quality use out of them but also in order to cleanse them of any bacteria or fungi that may have accumulated on them after our last use.

Surratt added that even a weekly wash may not be enough if you tend to use different colors on a daily basis. Using different colors makes a cleanse even more of a frequent chore as you will need to cleanse any previous color in order to get maximum usage and payoff on your new choice (via Allure).

As if the hygienic part isn't enough to convince you, regular cleaning also helps your tools perform at their best. A set of clean brushes allow your payoff to be better and the precision of your makeup to be even better.

Now that we have thoroughly convinced (or scared) you into regularly cleaning your tools, how do you properly make sure they are clean without damaging them? Well, the process is less complicated than you may think. 

According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, the proper way to clean your brushes is as easy as doing a couple of easy steps. Using lukewarm water, gently rinse the tips (and only the tips!) of your makeup brushes. Then, grab gentle shampoo or soap to mix with water in a bowl where you will dip and swirl your brushes. Rinse out your brush under running water and squeeze out any excess water and soap from your brush tips. Finally, face your brushes to dry with the bristles hanging down or lying down flat over a table. Simply make sure your tips are not facing up as this will loosen the glue holding the bristles onto the brush handle, per Byrdie.